Kolkata plans to fight crime with high-tech surveillance system

Kolkata: With crime on the rise, Kolkata now has a new plan to fight it by installing a high-tech surveillance system connected to police stations. Two scientists at the West Bengal University of Technology came up with the idea right after the AMRI fire tragedy.

One of the scientists, Protimoy Sanyal, says, "I thought after AMRI that if there was a way to detect this fire and alert before it could spread may be we could have saved lives. That's how this idea came about."

What started off as a project on safety though turned into one for security. The system can use satellites to link object tracking and processing units. What this means is any variation in movements, or crimes being committed, at places covered by CCTV cameras will be detected and the alarm raised at the nearest police facility.

WBUT Vice-Chancellor Samir Bandopadhyay said, "For instance if there is a clash, we can immediately inform the local police that there is a possibility of a clash and that can be prevented."

The project will be implemented in a few months. Assistant Commissioner of Police Debashish Roy said, "We will install this at 150 locations across the city first. This will help us to prevent street crimes."

But with a dismal CCTV penetration in the city, the question is how effective will this system be especially in crime prone areas. But for now the tracking units might serve as a warning that there could be someone watching you.